


Cold

by AuriferousEyes



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Badass Katara (Avatar), Bisexual Katara, F/F, F/M, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Implied Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Katara - Freeform, Oblivious Zuko (Avatar), Queer Themes, Romance, Zuko (Avatar)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27441490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuriferousEyes/pseuds/AuriferousEyes
Summary: Y/N and Katara desperately try to revive their fallen prince.
Relationships: Katara (Avatar)/Reader, Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43





	Cold

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after Zuko and Azula's fight.  
> Major Zuko x Y/N, with implied Katara x Reader and Katara x Zuko.

Prompt 16: Recovering from an Injury 

"Where is he?" 

The guards looked at you impassively, unsure as to who this disheveled young woman with blood still on her clothing was. You couldn't blame them for their hesitancy, but you had no time for it. 

"Zuko, where is Zuko?" Your chest was heaving with the effort you had exhausted to make it here as fast as you did. Still shaking from the fight upon the airfleet, but you couldn't think of anything but him. 

"We are not allowing just anybody to see the prince, it's a very bad time-" 

"I don't give a fuck!" you shouted, your anger drawing fire to your hands. Your eyes were thick with tears and you struggled to calm yourself. The last thing you needed was them thinking you were an assassin sent to avenge the ousted Fire Lord Azula. 

You had heard the news as you rushed through the city to the palace. Azula was in chains but he was hurt. Zuko was hurt and these bastards weren't letting you see him. Just as they raised their hands, Katara threw open the door. 

"Y/N." She sighed in relief and you let out a sob, rushing towards her and throwing your arms around her. The guards stood down immediately. 

You clung to each other for a moment, Katara leaning into you heavily. She was exhausted, utterly exhausted. But she was alive. "I thought I heard your cussing." She choked out and you managed a laugh despite your worry. You pulled away to hold her face. 

"Are you okay, my friend?" She nodded fiercely and you brought your lips to her brow, kissing her skin. You were so happy to see her okay. Happier than you had expected. It tore you apart to not follow them to the capital, but you had been needed on the fleet. The thought of something happening to either of them, to both of them while you weren't there to help them was almost too much to handle. 

"How's my brother?" She asked, her fingers digging into your arms. You pulled them off, squeezing her hands comfortingly. Her grip was like iron, and you had enough bruises to begin with. 

"They're safe. They're all safe. We did it Katara." You whispered breathlessly, ready to see the joy in her eyes. But it did not arrive. She looked sick.

Zuko. 

"Katara, where's Zuko?" At the mention of his name she snapped back to reality, and guilt crowded her expression. Your heart clenched and your hand moved over your mouth. "Katara..." 

"He's ... Sleeping. H-He got really hurt y/n. Because of me." You could have collapsed with relief. For a moment you had thought... 

"I don't know what happened, but I know it wasn't your fault, and he would be pissed if he heard you talking like that. Please, I need to see him before I go crazy." She nodded wordlessly and pulled you through the chambers and into the bedroom. 

You almost missed his pale figure, laying back in the sea of white sheets. He looked so young and fragile, only the shock of his black hair and the red skin of his scar giving any colour to him. 

He looked like a corpse. 

You stumbled to his side, sinking to your knees. All the fight, all the anger, all the adrenaline vanished from you, and all you felt was very, very scared. And very, very alone. The bandages across the bottom of his chest, the shallowness of his breath.

Whatever Azula had done to him, it was bad. 

You tentatively reached out, touching the hand that lay so still atop of the sheets. His fingers twitched in response and you felt your heart unclench a little. 

"He took lightning. That was meant for me. He redirected some but... I healed him as much as I could, and he was okay until we got Azula in prison and then he just collapsed and now I don't know what to do." Katara spoke fast, her voice a mixture of self hatred, anger, and desperation. She was standing on the opposite side of the bed, her eyes clenched shut and fists at her side. "I keep trying, but it's just everywhere in him, y/n. He won't wake up." 

Panic was rising in your throat, worse than before. To have Katara so shaken... This was bad. 

"Katara, look at me." She couldn't, her eyes squeezed tighter and tears running down her cheeks. 

"Katara, I said look at me." She finally opened her eyes, breathing heavily. You held your hand out over the bed, and she took it. Your fingers interlaced over Zuko's body. 

"There is no one in this world better at this than you are. You do your best, because your best is what will work, okay? He's not getting away from us that easily." You whispered the last part, looking back at the new Firelord, if he would have the title. If he would be able to. 

You reached out to press the hair back from his forehead. He was as still as a statue. 

You looked over at Katara and were grateful to see the steely resolve in her eyes. This was the Katara you knew and loved. 

"We need to get him submerged." She murmured and you nodded quickly. "There's a bathroom through that door, I'll fill it." She rushed away and you looked back at Zuko. It felt like your entire being would crack if you looked too long. 

You leaned forward, pressing your lips to his forehead. His skin felt cold, and that froze your heart. This being of fire, of passion and flame. Cold and clammy under your touch. You kissed his skin harder, struggling to hold back tears. You moved your lips to his ear, stroking his hair back behind it. 

"I never made you promise to come back to me. Because I knew you would. Don't make me regret trusting you." You whispered to him, hoping he could hear you from wherever he was. 

Carefully you manipulated him till his legs were off the bed. At that point Katara had returned and with her help you carried him to the bathroom, his dead weight laying heavy in your heart. Carefully you lowered him into the sue foro, submerging yourself with him. You couldn't care less about how your clothes soaked, you just didn't want him slipping under. You moved out when he was comfortably positioned, not letting go of his head for a moment. It lolled against the edge of the bath with out your support and you bit back a cry. He looked so helpless. 

Katara stepped into the water, her hands at the ready. She shot you a look and you could see the fear in the cerulean eyes. You knew there was a similar look in your own. 

You looked back down at the figure, lax in the water. You didn't know what you would do if this didn't work. It wasn't an option. 

With a slow controlled inhale, the water rose to Katara's hands. She swept it back and forth, her eyes closed in concentration. It pulsated, it throbbed. It was a more than a tool, it living being under her fingers. You held Zuko's head sturdily above the waves, your eyes never leaving his face. It began to glow an ethereal blue, casting his features into stark relief. 

But still no movement. Your heart felt weaker and weaker. One hand slid from his chin to his chest, pressing against his slowly beating heat. Underneath the glow of the water, you let your hand warm. 

Please. Please don't leave me. 

At once you felt a jolt, like a bite of lightning travelling through your palm. You screamed,pulling your hand away and starting back at the same time Katara let out a similar sound, scrabbling out of the tub. 

Beneath the sound of your screams, Zuko inhaled.

You went still, unsure if you had imagined it. But again. His eyelids twitched and you and Katara leaned forward, holding your breath. 

With a loud gasp his amber eyes shot open, hands grabbing the sides of the tub as he looked around, panic and fear twisting his expression. 

Katara collapsed to her knees, leaning her head against her hands. "It worked. I don't know how, but it worked." She whispered, her voice thick with emotion. 

You grabbed Zuko's shoulders, trying to still him before he hurt himself. "Zuko!! Zuko calm down. Please, it's us." His thrashing stopped and he leaned against the back of the tub, panting heavily. He met your gaze and his expression softened with recognition. 

"You're okay." He whispered, moving his hand to cup your cheek. You laughed through your tears, pressing your hand to his and kissing his wrist. 

"Yeah, I'm okay." You choked out. You looked at him and he was leaning forward, his wet hands cradling your face and pulling you to him. You pressed your lips against his, kissing him fervently. He was warm. You broke apart and he stroked your hair back tenderly. 

His gaze turned to Katara, who was wiping tears from her eyes. 

"Katara's okay too." He said, sounding dazed. She moved closer to the edge, smiling at him as her tears dropped into the water. 

"We're all okay, Zuko. Aang, Sokka. All of us." She replied, placing a hand on your shoulder. 

"We did it. We made it."


End file.
